Don't Forget: The Delano Las Vegas is Opening This Weekend

All eyes were on the grand opening of the SLS Las Vegas last weekend, but now the spotlight is heading down The Strip to The Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay, which will officially open on Tuesday, September 2.

But this is by no means a literal translation of the South Beach hotel. If anything, the Delano Las Vegas actually feels more luxurious and warmer than the original. Sure, there is all-white furniture in the bedroom but out in the sitting room, there's furniture that you can actually sit on and feel comfortable doing so.

On the ground floor of The Delano closest to the guest elevators and reception, there will be Franklin, a day to night lounge (it's open from 10am to 2am) that will serve craft cocktails like the D'usse cognac-based "The New Deal" and the Absolut vodka concoction, "South Beach Sunrise," as well as small bites like Cubano sliders and grilled flatbread cambozola.

There will also be an all-day restaurant across from Franklin called Della's Kitchen, which is described as "farmhouse meets urban kitchen." VegasChatter has perused the full menu already and entrees range from various kinds of eggs benedict (for breakfast), to paninis (lunch), bucatini carbonara (dinner) and a seasonal cobbler for two (dessert.) In short, it seems like good comfort food that's made with good ingredients. We were also excited by the addition of cold-pressed juice on the menu.

No Vegas casino is complete without a coffee joint and The Delano will have the 3940 Coffee + Tea shop, serving "gourmet brews and artisanal teas" from Grand Avenue Coffee with sweet and savory bakery treats and small bites. The spot, located near The Delano valet entrance and about 30 feet from The Franklin, will be open to all guests, even those not spending the night.

The Bathhouse Spa from the THEHotel days will remain. However, a brand-new menu of Delano services will be offered, including treatments with (locally sourced) desert ingredients like cacti (ouch?) and wildflowers (ooo, pretty.) There will also be treatments inspired by other Morgans Hotels around the world. (411: Morgans Hotel Group is licensing The Delano brand to MGM Resorts. The property will be run by MGM Resorts. And that's a really good thing.)

While The Delano won't have its own nightclub (guests can head over to Light at Mandalay Bay for that), music will be present throughout the public spaces of the hotel.

"Music is very much a part of our story," said Matthew Chilton, general manager of The Delano. The music in the morning will be light, "maybe a soft jazz," Chilton said, and will gradually become more uptempo as the day goes on.

The valet entrance.

The Delano will actually open on September 1 with room rates starting at $115 with a $25 resort fee. For the extremely high rollers, The Delano will unveil some seriously stunning penthouse suites as well. Rates on those are obviously more than we can afford but we expect them to be about $1,000 and up.